Craig Whelihan

Last updated

Craig Whelihan
No. 5
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1971-04-15) April 15, 1971 (age 52)
San Jose, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school: Santa Teresa (San Jose)
College: Pacific
NFL draft: 1995  / Round: 6 / Pick: 197
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Comp. / Att.:267 / 557
Passing yards:3,160
TD-INT:14-29
QB Rating:52.4
Rushing yards:67
Career Arena statistics
Comp. / Att.:474 / 803
Passing yards:5,978
TD-INT:110-28
QB Rating:102.01
Rushing TD:11
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR  ·  ArenaFan.com

Craig Dominic Whelihan (born April 15, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), XFL, and Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Pacific Tigers. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft.

Contents

High school years

Born in San Jose, California, Whelilhan graduated from Santa Teresa High School of San Jose in 1989 and lettered in football, baseball and basketball. In football, as a senior, he passed for 1,314 yards and 11 touchdowns. [1]

College years

After graduating from Santa Teresa High, Whelihan enrolled at Oregon State University and redshirted his freshman year. [1] In 1990, Whelihan transferred to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California and played on the Pacific Tigers football team from 1992 to 1994. [1] [2] He ended his college career ranked third on the school's list for completions (300), attempts (591) and TDs (27).

NFL career

1995–1997

The San Diego Chargers drafted Whelihan in the sixth round (197th overall) in the 1995 NFL Draft. [3] After not seeing any regular season action in 1995 or 1996, Whelihan made his NFL debut in Week 8 (October 16) of the 1997 season, in a 31–3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Replacing Stan Humphries, Whelihan completed 2 of 8 passes for 13 yards. [4] In his second game with San Diego, a 38–31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10 (November 2), Whelihan completed 8 of 16 passes for 90 yards and passed for his first NFL touchdown, a 44-yarder to Charlie Jones with 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter. [4] [5]

Whelihan replaced Humphries as starter effective Week 10 (November 9) because Humphries suffered concussions. [4] [6] In Whelihan's debut as starter, Whelihan completed 17 of 29 passes for 206 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception in a 37–31 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. [4] Whelihan also lost a fumble in the Chargers' own end zone, and Michael Sinclair recovered the fumble for a defensive touchdown. [7] In the last play of the game, Sinclair sacked Whelihan to seal the Seahawks win. [8]

Playing for only the first three quarters, Whelihan had a season-low 22.2% completion rate in Week 12 (November 23) against the San Francisco 49ers, completing 4 of 18 passes for 81 yards and 3 interceptions before Todd Philcox replaced him. [4] [9] San Diego finished 1997 with a 4–12 record, including 0-7 with Whelihan as starter. [10] In 9 games (7 starts), Whelihan finished 1997 with 118 of 237 passes completed for 6 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, 21 sacks for 168 lost yards, and 29 rushing yards on 13 carries. [11]

1998–2000

Whelihan again was second-string quarterback in 1998, this time behind second-overall draft pick Ryan Leaf. After a Leaf pick-six put San Diego behind by 19, Whelihan replaced Leaf in the Week 4 (September 27) game against the New York Giants. In his first drive of the game, Whelihan made a 41-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Jones; the ensuring extra point cut New York's lead to 28-16. [12] San Diego lost the game 34-16, and Whelihan finished with 6 of 15 completed passes for 97 yards and a touchdown as well as 13 rushing yards in 3 carries. In contrast, Leaf threw 4 interceptions in the game in 15-for-34 passing for 193 yards. [13]

In Week 6 (October 11), a 7–6 loss to the Oakland Raiders, Whelihan again replaced Leaf late in the game. Leaf had thrown three interceptions, and Whelihan threw an interception in his first drive. Trailing 7-6 and on 4th-and-6 on Oakland's 38 with 42 seconds left, Whelihan completed a screen pass to Natrone Means, but Means fell six inches short of the first down. [14] After Leaf completed only 4 of 15 passes with an interception in Week 10 (November 8), Whelihan replaced Leaf and had a better performance: 13 of 23 completed passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. San Diego lost 27-10 to defending champion and this season's eventual champion Denver Broncos. [15] Effective Week 11 (November 15), Whelihan was starter on a permanent basis. [4]

San Diego finished 1998 with a 5–11 record, just one game better than in 1997; Whelihan had a 2–5 record as starter. [16] Both of Whelihan's wins were by one point: 14-13 over Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 and 38-37 over Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 (November 22). In Week 11, Whelihan completed 15 of 42 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown, and Whelihan improved in the next game with 19-for-37 passing for 279 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. [4]

A five-game losing streak followed those two wins. In the season finale on December 28 against the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona safety Kwamie Lassiter intercepted Whelihan four times; one of Lassiter's interceptions bounced off Chargers receiver Ryan Thelwell. [17] [18] With 16 seconds left on 4th-and-20, Thelwell caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Whelihan, and the extra point tied the game at 13. However, Chris Jacke kicked the winning field goal as time expired, and Arizona's win qualified the team for the playoffs for the first time in nearly 15 years. [19]

The Chargers cut Whelihan after the 1999 preseason. [20] On January 6, 2000, Whelihan signed with the Oakland Raiders. [21] After training camp, the Raiders cut Whelihan.

XFL career

Whelihan played in the XFL in 2001. He began the season with the Memphis Maniax; stuck at third string behind Jim Druckenmiller and Marcus Crandell, the league transferred Whelihan to the Chicago Enforcers midseason to replace Tim Lester. In Chicago, he largely served as a backup to Kevin McDougal.

Arena Football League career

Whelihan played for three different Arena Football League teams: the Orlando Predators (2001-2002, 2004), the Indiana Firebirds (2003), and Las Vegas Gladiators (2005-2006).

After Orlando started 0-3, Whelihan led the Predators to a four-game winning streak by June 2001. [22] Whelihan finished the 2001 season with 224 of 377 passes completed for 3,004 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. [23] Whelihan spent the entire 2002 season on injured reserve. [1]

In 2003, the Predators traded Whelihan to the Indiana Firebirds. In four games (with two starts), Whelihan completed 42 of 73 passes for 461 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. [1] [23]

Whelihan returned to Orlando as a backup in 2004 and completed just 7 of 18 passes for 50 yards. [1]

Whelihan signed with the af2 team San Diego Riptide on January 27, 2005. [24] [25] Never playing a game for the Riptide, Whelihan returned to the AFL in March 2005 and signed with the Las Vegas Gladiators. [26] With Las Vegas, Whelihan started 2 of 14 games and was mainly a holder when not a starter. [1] He completed 58 of 92 passes for 684 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. [23] In 2006 with the Gladiators, Whelihan played all 16 games and started 5 and made 131 of 223 passes for 1,677 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions as well as 5 rushing touchdowns. [1]

On October 29, 2006, Whelihan signed as a free agent with the San Jose SaberCats, the AFL team in his hometown of San Jose. [1] In 2007, he served as the backup quarterback and holder for the ArenaBowl XXI champion San Jose SaberCats.

Coaching career

In 2003, Whelihan became quarterbacks coach at La Costa Canyon High School of Carlsbad, California. [27] He continued in that position until 2005. [28] Whelihan also studied for a teaching credential in physical education. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kenneth Allan Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), spending his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He later returned as a position coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Fouts</span> American football player and broadcaster (born 1951)

Daniel Francis Fouts is an American former professional football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973–1987). After a relatively undistinguished first five seasons in the league, Fouts came to prominence as the on-field leader during the Chargers' Air Coryell period. He led the league in passing every year from 1979 to 1982, passing for over 4,000 yards in the first three of these—no previous quarterback had posted consecutive 4,000-yard seasons. Fouts was voted a Pro Bowler six times, first-team All-Pro twice, and Offensive Player of the Year in 1982. He was named a member of the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, and elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Rivers</span> American football player (born 1981)

Philip Michael Rivers is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and was selected fourth overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the New York Giants, who traded him to the San Diego Chargers during the draft. Rivers was a member of the Chargers for 16 seasons and played his final season for the Indianapolis Colts. Since 2021, he has served as the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Harbaugh</span> American football player and coach (born 1963)

James Joseph Harbaugh is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at the University of Michigan from 2015 to 2023, the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, Stanford University from 2007 to 2010 and the University of San Diego from 2004 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Leaf</span> American football player (born 1976)

Ryan David Leaf is an American professional football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Thelwell</span> American football player

Ryan Thelwell is a Jamaican-Canadian former professional wide receiver of American football and Canadian football. Thelwell was originally drafted 9th overall by the Lions in the 1998 CFL Draft and by the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) in the 1998 NFL draft in the seventh round with the 215th overall pick. Thelwell played college football with the University of Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Joe Tolliver</span> American football player (born 1966)

Billy Joe Tolliver is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) for twelve seasons with the San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Oilers, Shreveport Pirates, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints. Over the course of his NFL career, he played in 79 games, completed 891 of 1,707 passes for 10,760 yards, threw 59 touchdowns and 64 interceptions, and retired with a passer rating of 67.7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleo Lemon</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1979)

Cleo Lemon Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Lemon was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He was also a member of the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, and Toronto Argonauts.

Moses Nathaniel Moreno is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He attended Castle Park High School, where he became a two-time all-conference selection.

Mark Richard Vlasic is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). During this time, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Over the course of his career, he played in 15 games, completed 75 of 142 passes for 762 yards, threw four touchdowns and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 63.2.

The 2002 season was the San Diego Chargers' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and their first under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Their stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, hosted Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the season, but the Chargers' failure to secure a playoff berth marked the 18th straight season that the Super Bowl did not include the team in whose region the game was being played. Their division was reduced to four teams at the start of the season, with the Seattle Seahawks moving to the NFC. Despite going into their bye week with a 6–1 record, the Chargers suffered a late-season collapse, winning just two out of their last nine games after their bye week and missing the postseason.

The 1998 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 29th season in the National Football League (NFL), its 39th overall and was the second and final season under Kevin Gilbride. After a 2–4 start, Gilbride was fired and June Jones coached the final ten games of the season as interim head coach, the team going 3–7 under his stewardship. San Diego's defense led the league in yards allowed; however, a weak offense under infamous draft bust quarterback Ryan Leaf meant that the team was last in the AFC West. The team scored a total of 241 points, an average of 15.1 points per game, the second lowest in the NFL, with only the Philadelphia Eagles performing worse with 161.

The 1997 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 28th season in the National Football League (NFL), its 38th overall and was the first season under Kevin Gilbride. With veteran first-string quarterback Stan Humphries missing half the season, the Chargers struggled and failed to improve on their 8–8 record from 1996. Backup quarterback Craig Whelihan went winless in seven starts, with the result that the Chargers lost their final eight games after a 4–4 start and scored only one touchdown in their final three games. The team finished with a 4–12 record and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Nathan William Enderle is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Idaho, where he was a four-year starter. Enderle was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2012 preseason and the Tennessee Titans and San Diego Chargers during the 2013 preseason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Lindley</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1989)

Ryan George Lindley is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the senior offensive analyst at San Diego State University. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft. Lindley was also a member of the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and Ottawa Redblacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brock Osweiler</span> American football player (born 1990)

Brock Alan Osweiler is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Osweiler first served as the Broncos' starter during their Super Bowl-winning season in 2015 when he relieved an injured Peyton Manning, although Manning resumed his starting duties for the playoffs and eventual Super Bowl 50 victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Mannion (American football)</span> American football player (born 1992)

Sean Thomas Mannion is an American football coach and former quarterback who is an offensive assistant for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was their starting quarterback from 2011 to 2014. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft, and also played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chargers–Chiefs rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Chargers–Chiefs rivalry is an American football rivalry between the National Football League (NFL)'s Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs. Since the American Football League (AFL) was established in 1960, the Chargers and the Chiefs have shared the same division, first being the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL–NFL merger, the American Football Conference (AFC) West. Following the Raiders' move to Las Vegas (Chiefs) and the Rams' return to Los Angeles, they are now the farthest apart two teams in the same division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Bercovici</span> American football player and coach (born 1993)

Michael Bercovici is an American football coach and former quarterback who currently serves as an offensive assistant for the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Arizona State. He signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent after the 2016 NFL Draft and has also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Herbert</span> American football player (born 1998)

Justin Patrick Herbert is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon, where he won the 2019 Pac-12 Championship and was named MVP of the 2020 Rose Bowl. Herbert was selected by the Chargers as the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Craig Whelihan". San Jose SaberCats. Archived from the original on August 17, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Craig Whelihan". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000.
  3. ↑ "1995 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Craig Whelihan Career Game Log". pro-football-reference. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Carrying On Without a Big Name". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Humphries Still Reeling". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 12, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ Shanahan, Tom (November 10, 1997). "Whelihan Experiences Growing Pains In 1St Start". Seattle Times. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Seahawks Vs. New Orleans". Seattle Times. November 16, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2013. The league officially awarded Michael Sinclair a sack for his tackle of San Diego quarterback Craig Whelihan on the last play of Sunday's game.
  9. ↑ Swan, Gary (November 24, 1997). "Defense Carries the Day For Sputtering Offense". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  10. ↑ "1997 San Diego Chargers". pro-football-reference. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Craig Whelihan". pro-football-reference. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  12. ↑ Pennington, Bill (September 28, 1998). "Giants Relentlessly Regain Their Strut". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ "New York Giants 34 at San Diego Chargers 16, Sunday, September 27, 1998". pro-football-reference. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  14. ↑ Kroichick, Ron (October 12, 1998). "Raiders Pull Off the Improbable / Listless game saved by 68-yard TD strike in final 2 minutes". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 20, 2003. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  15. ↑ "San Diego Chargers 10 at Denver Broncos 27, Sunday, November 8, 1998". pro-football-reference. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  16. ↑ "1998 San Diego Chargers". pro-football-reference. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  17. ↑ Simers, T.J. (December 28, 1998). "Officials and Jacke Help Raise Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  18. ↑ Walsh, Chris (December 28, 1998). "Wild Cards". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Cardinals 16, Chargers 13". Associated Press. December 27, 1998. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Salaam Is Released As Teams Make Cuts". The New York Times. September 6, 1999. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Raiders Sign QB Craig Whelihan". Associated Press. January 6, 2000. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  22. ↑ Cotey, John C. (June 10, 2001). "Preds prowl with Whelihan". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  23. 1 2 3 "Craig Whelihan". Arenafan.com. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  24. ↑ Thien, Glae (January 28, 2005). "Riptide has Whelihan". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  25. ↑ Thien, Glae (January 29, 2005). "Riptide offense in hands of Whelihan". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  26. ↑ Thien, Glae (March 13, 2005). "Riptide ready to roll – without Whelihan". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  27. ↑ Reid, Whitelaw (November 16, 2003). "Coach Craig; Former Chargers quarterback helps with coaching duties at La Costa Canyon High, hopes for a return to NFL". San Diego Union-Tribune. p. N9. Retrieved July 26, 2019– via NewsBank.
  28. ↑ Highfill, Bob (March 9, 2006). "Vagabond QB is still slinging it". The Record. Stockton, California. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  29. ↑ Phillips, Roger (February 14, 2007). "Former Tiger brings football career back to Stockton". The Record. Stockton, California. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.